An industry expert estimates that the popular new shooter game, ARC Raiders, developed by Embark Studios, cost $75 million to create. Since launching in October 2025, the game has reportedly earned over $500 million, and is projected to exceed $1 billion in sales as its popularity continues to rise.
Last year, ARC Raiders quickly became a popular game, and its success continues into the new year. Even though it launched alongside major titles like Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, ARC Raiders captured the attention of players worldwide and became a big win for Embark Studios. With overwhelmingly positive feedback from both gamers and critics, the third-person shooter was recognized as one of 2025’s best games, winning Best Multiplayer Game at the Game Awards. As a result, it’s no surprise the game has been incredibly profitable.
ARC Raiders Reportedly Had $75 Million Budget
Industry analyst Michael Pachter, as reported by Insider Gaming, revealed that ARC Raiders cost $75 million to make but has already earned $500 million since launching in October 2025. During a recent podcast, Pachter discussed recent changes at Ubisoft, including the cancellation of six games, notably the remake of Prince of Persia. He pointed out that Ubisoft takes a long time to release new games in its popular franchises. He also compared Ubisoft’s budgets to those of Rockstar Games, who are rumored to have spent $1.5 to $2 billion on Grand Theft Auto 6. Pachter noted that Rockstar can justify this expense because the next GTA game is expected to quickly recoup its costs after release.
Pachter argues that comparing this game to huge titles like GTA, FIFA, or Call of Duty isn’t accurate; a better comparison would be ARC Raiders. He revealed that ARC Raiders cost $75 million to develop, took three years with a team of 70 people, and has already earned $500 million, likely heading towards a billion dollars in revenue. Nexon has reported over 12 million copies sold at a $40 price point, which supports Pachter’s claim about the game’s financial success.
Although Pachter states that the game was in development for three years, Embark has mentioned that work on ARC Raiders actually began as early as 2018 or 2019, shortly after the studio was founded. It was first shown publicly at The Game Awards in 2021, but the team realized the original concept wasn’t enjoyable as a player-versus-environment (PvE) game. They then decided to shift the focus to include both player-versus-player (PvP) and player-versus-environment elements. This change meant that The Finals, originally planned to be released after ARC Raiders, ended up launching first while the team reworked their extraction shooter.
Switching the game’s focus from purely player-versus-environment to a mix of player-versus-player and environment was a smart move, as ARC Raiders consistently attracts hundreds of thousands of players daily. Embark, the game’s developer, recently shared its plans for future updates, promising several major content additions in the coming months. The first update, called Headwinds, released last month, introducing a new map feature, a debated 1-versus-3 matchmaking mode, and other improvements. Players eager for a new map will be pleased to know it’s scheduled for April, along with a powerful new ARC enemy – many believe this will be the Emperor.
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2026-02-02 21:06